Can Shanto’s ‘more confident’ team find their spark in Sri Lanka?

Bangladesh's cricketing narrative has rarely followed a smooth arc. It has often flowed between flashes of brilliance and extended stretches of inconsistency.

At present, the team finds itself at a difficult juncture -- grappling with on-field struggles and a noticeable dip in public enthusiasm.

A string of underwhelming results in recent months -- most notably a home Test defeat against Zimbabwe, a T20I series loss to UAE, and a whitewash at the hands of Pakistan -- has understandably left fans disheartened.

The Tigers' upcoming tour of Sri Lanka, beginning with the first Test on June 17 in Galle, has thus not generated the usual buzz.

Yet, there was a sense of quiet optimism from Bangladesh Test captain Nazmul Hossain Shanto during the team's pre-tour press conference at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur today.

The left-hander spoke with measured confidence, rooted in recent overseas performances and buoyed by fond memories of Bangladesh's historic win in Colombo back in 2017.

"We are a more confident unit after winning four Tests in the last WTC cycle," Shanto said. "We are constantly working on our skills, and those wins have given us belief. If we can play to our potential, we have an opportunity to start well in this new cycle."

Certainly, that confidence is not without foundation. Bangladesh's away Test record in the previous ICC World Test Championship (WTC) cycle was their most successful to date. They played six away Tests, won three, including a historic 2-0 series win over Pakistan, and lost three. They also ended a 15-year wait for a Test win in the Caribbeans.

However, their home performances painted a starkly different picture. The Tigers lost all four home Tests -- 2-0 each to Sri Lanka and South Africa.

As a result, they finished seventh in the 2023–25 WTC cycle standings, with four wins in 12 matches, avoiding the bottom spot for the first time since the competition's inception.

The solitary win against Sri Lanka in Colombo, back in their 100th Test, remains Bangladesh's only Test victory against the Lankans in 26 matches -- a statistic Shanto and his men would be eager to improve upon.

"We have some good memories in Sri Lanka," Shanto said. "We won our 100th Test there. We know the conditions will be challenging, but we see it as an opportunity to do something special."

Whether Bangladesh can recapture that spark remains to be seen. For now, what's clear is that the team is looking to move forward, armed with belief and the lessons of the past.